


Gay Chicago II: Sequin-Dusted

by BradyGirl_12



Series: Gay Chicago [2]
Category: Public Enemies (2009)
Genre: Cake, Dancing, Dessert & Sweets, Dinner, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food, Humor, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Series, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-28
Updated: 2012-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-31 20:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BradyGirl_12/pseuds/BradyGirl_12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mel and Johnny enjoy their night out at <i>The Purple Peacock.</i> ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gay Chicago II: Sequin-Dusted

**Author's Note:**

> Series Notes: I read George Chauncey’s _Gay New York_ years ago about a brief period in American history in which it was chic for straights to patronize gay nightclubs as whites went to black clubs during the Harlem vogue, and the city let drag balls take place openly. Even movies had their nods to gay life before the Hays Code was enforced in 1934. Well, the other hub of openly gay nightlife was Chicago, and the period was from the late 1920s to around 1934 before the moralists cracked down and closed down the clubs and halted the balls. How serendipitious is that? ;) So I decided that this planned one-shot had to be expanded into a series. It’s just too good with the timeline fitting! Note: the name given to the fad was the ‘Pansy Craze’, and other terms used for homosexuals were ‘fairy’ and ‘queer’, sometimes used by gays themselves. The term ‘gay’ was used by homosexuals but was not public knowledge at the time.  
>  Since my notes grew too voluminous for the header, you can read them [here.](%E2%80%9Dhttp://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/804188.html%E2%80%9D). The entire series can be found [here.](%E2%80%9Dhttp://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/553277.html%E2%80%9D)  
> Original LJ Date Of Completion: September 12, 2011  
> Original LJ Date Of Posting: September 15, 2011  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Universal does, more’s the pity.  
> Original LJ Word Count: 647  
> Feedback welcome and appreciated.

_On the edges  
Of propriety,  
We dwell,  
On the edges  
Of society,  
It’s swell._

  


**Elsa Melchior  
"Edges"   
Decca Records   
1922 C.E.**

“Doris was here?”

“She was.”

“With Charles?”

“Uh, huh.” Johnny’s eyes sparkled as he chewed on a mint. He held his lover’s hand tightly to keep him calm.

Mel looked around the nightclub, most of the patrons absorbed in their partners. He and Johnny were sitting in a booth in semi-shadow. 

“Charles surprises me.”

“Good, otherwise I’d be in the clink right now.”

Mel raised Johnny’s hand and lightly kissed the warm skin.

Their waiter came over and they ordered coffee and cake. The band struck up a dance song.

“Dance with me?” Johnny asked.

“Why, I’d be delighted, suh.”

They headed out to the dance floor, Mel allowing Johnny to lead. The dance number was slow and sultry, the torch singer lending her talents to the music.

Except that she was a he, and was one of the premier ‘pansy performers’ in Chicago. 

_The Purple Peacock_ was a former speakeasy, the lavender theme evident in the décor from the tablecloths to the menus to the uniforms of the waitresses and bow ties of the waiters. The singer Lily Marlene tossed her purple feather boa over her shoulder and dropped her voice another octave as couples swayed to the music.

Mel was thrilled to be able to dance with Johnny in public. The Pansy Craze allowed homosexuals to openly cavort in specialized nightclubs like this one, and for that he was grateful. It was tough to have to hide his love for Johnny because he was a gangster and a man. Being open and proud was a rare but glorious feeling.

Mel nuzzled Johnny’s ear, smelling his spicy aftershave and light cologne. He was delicious and sexy and salacious, all at once, just what Mel needed and wanted, all underlaid with kindness and love. 

As they danced, Mel saw the other couples lost in each other, safe in this place, an enclave of security in a harsh world. The shadows clung to the edges of the dance floor, seeping into the booths, spotlighting the dancers and the diners at tables, the lavender tablecloths edged in deep purple tassels, like two shades of lilac. Tiny sequins were dusted across the cloth, glittering like jewels, and candles flickered on the tables in dark-purple glass jars encased in delicate netting. Elegant but a touch tawdry, as all people who lived on the fringes of society could expect.

Johnny’s hand slipped up-and-down his back, gentle yet firm, lips whispering in his ear as he promised the world, and Mel believed that he could deliver.

When the song ended, Johnny escorted Mel back to their table, strutting like a peacock, which brought laughter to Mel’s lips.

“And what’s so amusing, honey?”

“You.”

Johnny grinned as he slid into the booth next to Mel, their desserts already on the table. “I like to amuse my friends and lovers.” 

Mel grasped Johnny’s hand. “Am I your friend as well as lover?”

Johnny lifted their joined hands and brushed his lips over Mel’s knuckles. “Oh, yes. You’re everything to me.”

Mel smiled as he looked adoringly at his lover. “You flatter me, suh.”

“I fully intend to.”

Mel laughed. He picked up his fork and took a bite of red velvet cake, “Mmm, sweet and moist.”

Johnny’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “You have a way with words, sugar.”

Mel licked his fork. “I surely hope so, suh.”

A glint appeared in Johnny’s eyes and he began eating his Black Forest cake. Mel was happy. He wanted to always feel this free to be himself and to bask in Johnny’s love. Maybe they would only have places like this with its mix of safety and danger, of acceptance and scorn, but they would always have each other in the light of dusted sequins and silky lavender.


End file.
